Ninjago: Origins
by onyx-hime-sama
Summary: In the wake of the confrontation with the Hands of Time, an ancient evil returns to haunt Ninjago as the hunt for the Crystal of Origins commences. It's a race against time that our heroes can not afford to lose. In all this Zane is confronted about the truth of his own origins...and about Pixal's. *Chapter 1 revised and expanded


Greetings Ninjago Fans! Onyx-hime-sama is honored that you popped into her humble effort at a Zane/Pixal fic.

Chapter one revised and extended.

I owe my adoring public an apology for redoing this on the fly but I guess that's what I get for not plotting it out first. It originally came from an idea for a oneshot fluff between Zane and Pixal...but no matter how hard I try, I just can't do one shots. I love my fluff but I find I need some meat with my mashed potatoes.

Just a couple of pointers that the author wanted to bring to the fore-front and then on to the show. First off, I love how loose and free the rules in NInjago are. Know that time doesn't apply and the typical rules of life and death have nothing to do with reality. Secondly, this lil' ol' author loves the multitude of questions I end up with after each arc. Such as: if Zane shared his heart and subsequently sacrificed spinjitzu for Pixal, how then can he do it as a titanium ninja? Where did Pixal's half of his heart go after Chen's dungeon? What is Zane's heart exactly? Why the heck did Chen want to scrap Pixal in the first place? And last but not least...How old is Ninjago anyway? ect...

Alas, in the words of my favorite ninja Zane, I sense that my questions may go unanswered. Heeeeeeelloooooo fanfiction!

This is a fun attempt to lay some of those questions to rest in my mind. I have to tell you though that, in keeping with true NInjago tradition, I am kind of writing this as an in-your-face random plot. I have no idea where this will go but that's half the fun!

In a last brief note, I wanted to kind of write the romance between the robots as a robot just coming into his own unique humanity would experience it. Techniqually, Zane and Pixal aren't human. Their bodies are fashioned as human but are definitely electronic. World of possibilities! Any way, this is my attempt at Positronic love. So bear with me. Comments are actually appreciated and even constructive critiscm is welcome. I love suggestions for new ideas and can't do wihout them. However, please no trolling or flames. Might seem fun on your end but really nobody thinks its cool.

Ah yes...ahem...I do not own Ninjago, the ninja, my favorite nindroid or his counterpart. (darn it) The plot is a conglomeration of my own fantasies (yes I am in therapy for it but it ain't helping ;) and trademark Ninjago plots. I"m broke so don't sue.

Sooooooo Without further ado...

 **NInjago: Origins**

 **Episode One: These Fleeting Moments**

A gentle breeze danced through the fragrant blossoms of the ancient cherry tree. Petals broke free from their moorings, swirling around the white-clad figure, scenting the air with their delicate perfume. The wind's invisible fingers, feisty and troublesome, tickled through his honey blond hair, lifting and moulding the golden strands to its ever shifting will. He reached a hand up to brush away the troublesome tendrils, but it froze mid motion, holding the appendages before his eyes in wonder.

Gone was the cold silver of titanium. And in its place, flesh...warm and alive and just as it was before his encounter with the Evil Overlord...

He rubbed the skin of his palms together, marveling at the sensation, then dropped them to his torso. Fingers ran over crude fabric taking in the feeling of wool fibers and knitted textures as he realized he was dressed in simple white, similar to the garments he wore when he and his "father" had lived together so long ago.

But that was odd...he had long since sacrificed this exoskeleton for his silver-titanium shell. It felt weird to see this form again... and even weirder to feel the sensations of touch and smell. His titanium body was stronger by far and more durable but not as able to receive sensory input as his other.

Yes. It was very odd. His logic parameters took in the surrounding gardens complete with trees and oriental bricking. Japanese lanterns illuminated the eves of a large temple-like pagoda and to right the faint clicking sound of a bamboo fountain filled the air. It didn't compute. Moments ago, he was in his bed, and now he was here...

And somewhere in the deep parts of his mind, Zane knew he was dreaming. His system had powered down sufficiently to allow free reign to his imaging and virtual parameters. What humans called "dreams", he experienced in a virtual world created by memory files and system data. It was the defragmentation cycle that allowed for moments like these.

A peircing cry rent the skies as a hawk's call filled the garden, drawing his attention upwards. Zane frequently dreamed, but rarely did he see this bird. He knew when he did though, something momentous was about to take place.

"What is it, my friend? You've never led me wrong before." Zan murmured beneath his breath as his longtime companion swooped low over his head. Following the bird as quickly as he could, Zane's dark eyes traced its shadow as it swooped low over an elegant crimson bridge.

Oriental designs graced the balstrades with deep crimson lacquer and intricate detail. As lovely as it was, what drew his attention was the figure gracing the wooden railings.

His breath caught at the sight.

She was beautiful in an ethereal way, clothed in a purple and blue kimono. Her back was to him and a sudden gust sent more petals her way, carressing the molten silver of her long loose hair, which seemed to shimmer and dance as it moved in time to the wind's song.

Rich embroidery painted simple lines in crimson along the edges of the fabric as it draped around her slender figure. The snow white of her skin was offset by delicate purple tatoos caressing her shapely left shoulder, trailing down to disappear beneath the hem of her garment. Somewhere in his processor, Zane knew that this was atypical to what she usually wore...similar but more a variation of a theme. And still beautiful, none the less.

The hawk screeched again as the figure turned. Green eyes glinted at him as a smile spread across her lips. "Zane..."

The Nindroid smiled as he stepped forward. _Pixal_... With speed only a spinjizsu master could achieve, Zane ran forward laughing as he wrapped his hands around her small waist. Her own laughter joined his as he swooped her up and swung her around. Her voice was music to his ears.

His eyes turned limpid as he slowed to a stop and their laughter died into a gentle stillness. Slowly he lowered her until she was nestled in his arms, held firmly against the pulsating power source that was his heart.

"You are here...you are REALLY here..." He whispered against her cheek as he nuzzled into her hair. She felt so warm and solid...so good in his arms...especially after the weeks of silence...

He knew this was a dream and not real but he didn't care. She was here, now, wrapping her own arms around him and snuggling her cheek closer to his heart. He marveled in his mind, for once choosing to ignore logic parameters. At the moment he really did not care.

His arms tightened around her as his stomach bottomed out feeling the echoes of the emotional turmoil he'd experienced in the past weeks. She had been gone now for so long...Ever since their struggle with the Hands of Time.

That encounter had shaken all of them. The team was still reeling with the loss of Sensei Wu and the discovery of Kai's and Nya's own parents. It had been a time that had sorely tested all of the ninja...and him. He had once again faced his own limitations without her spupport, and he realized exactly what she meant to him. He had never really understood what she had become to him...how much he had gotten used to her positronic voice in his ear and her presence in his consciousness.

Not until she was gone.

A shudder shook through him. He felt her move closer at that and then sigh into him...he could have sworn, it was a sigh of total contentment. Almost as if she had been wanting to be there all along.

He couldn't agree more. He rubbed his cheek against her hair loving the feel of her. "Pixal...I...missed you."

"Zane..." Her voice was soft and immensely satisfied. "I missed you too."

"Where did you go?" He pulled back only far enough to gaze worriedly into her glowing green eyes. "You went completely offline. Ever since Nya's attempt to replace my primary power core, I haven't been able to access your sub-routines. I couldn't sense you...I couldn't locate your data algorithms to reboot your program...I couldn't even find you in my memory drive. You simply were not there. It was like..." His voice broke and fell to silence afraid to go on...as if speaking might actually give reality to the terrifying thought that had been passing through his processor now for days. He turned his head from her unable to handle the anguish pouring from his emotion chip.

Pixal gazed at him as he turned his head, hiding his expression from her in a purely human fashion. He wished to keep from her what he knew was written on his face. Her hand gently carressed his cheek, turning his troubled eyes back to hers. "What, Zane?"

"I was afraid that I had lost you...that somehow you had been deleted." His eyes swam with unshed tears . "I don't know if I could survive that, Pixal. If I lost you, I would cease to function. You are... vital ...to me."

Pixal's heart broke as his final whisper burned itself forever into the deepest part of her memory core. Her own eyes closed as she savored the knowledge that the one she treasured most...her Zane...had just spoken what she longed to hear most.

"My Nindroid..." She reached up, carressing his virtual cheek with her own silver white hand. Emotion unlike anything she had ever experienced saturated her own processor, completly overwhelming her logic parameters. The sensation was new and left her shaking at the intensity of the feeling.

If only she could tell him...explain to him why...

She could not though. No matter how badly she wished she could. She had limited time here with him. There was a purpose for tonight and she had to accomplish it. There were too many unknowns. Too many things left for her to do. He would not understand, nor would he let her do what she needed to if he knew...He would try to protect her...to shield her from the threat. She could not allow that.

But how desperatly she missed him...and how much he meant to her he would never fully know. The wind shifted as the edges of the sky blinked static briefly. In her own matrix she sensed a shift. Her window was closing. She had to hurry.

He reached a hand up and threaded it through her liquid platinum hair, and she melted. _Just a couple minutes more..._.her rebelious heart whispered as she snuggled in closer to him. After all, he believed it was a dream. Why not enjoy it with him? _If only for a short time.._.

And she lost herself in the feel of his arms holding her. Her satisfied smile was hidden in the fabric of his shirt.

It was something she had long since given up hope he would ever do...or even be able to do. She had sacrificed her body for his safety. He would never know she was the one who mislead Chen into thinking her biometrics would be far more profitable to exploit then Zane's. And even as they dug into her circuits pulling apart nuerogenic leads and hydrolics, she knew her body would never function again. It was only her quick thinking that had saved her at all. downloading her programming into the hard drive on the testing computor in her cell had preserved her matrix. But the rest was lost. She had watched as her body, and along with it, her hopes for the future, was turned into so much scrap. It was the price for protecting the one who was her heart. He had given half of his heart to save her. She did not mind giving all of her for him.

Her focus had become Zane and keeping him alive...reminding him of who he was as his own nueral pathways regenerated. The damage done in the destruction of the Overlord, as well as the trauma caused by the sudden loss of his elemental power was intense. It took all of her to keep him centered and focused. It was enough for her that he lived.

She never would have guessed to what lengths that Nindroid would go for her...

He had saved her life time and again demonstrating the strength of his feelings for her; he had braved the guards to save her hard drive after Chen had had her dismembered. And he had given her a place in his own mind, allowing her program special permissions to access his nueral net. He valued her opinions and truly valued her. He had treated her as someone precious and to be treasured. He had shown that she could be more than the sum of her programming.

Her green glowing eyes closed as a wealth feeling washed through her. Vital to him was she? Indeed he was vital to her too.

If she lost him, then she too would cease to function. She had already lost him once. Her heart shredded as she remembered seeing him holding the horns of thr Golden Master, pouring his being out to protect her and his brothers. Her heart had felt his own waning heartbeats. She shuddered as she relived that moment when she knew his powersource had failed him, and his biometric patterns had flat lined.

No. She could not do it again. She could not live through that pain a second time. Her logic patterns would simply lose cohesion.

Her jaw set as her arms tightened around him protectively. She was here for a purpose. She had to keep him safe and she would. She would do anything for him.

His safety...That was all that mattered. Even if it damaged her.

He was her Nindroid. And as she gazed up at him a desire to show him overtook her. Following the recommendation of her data base on demonstrating affection, she took his hand and captured it against her heart, her fingers entwining his. "Zane..." she whispered softly. "i want you to know...You are my heart. You are the only one I am compatable with and the only one I want to be compatible with. I know you don't understand. And I can not explain. But, no matter what happens, remember, I will always be with you. Even if it is only in dreams."

His breath caught at her admission and slowly his eyes closed on the lovely glowing orbs that gazed at him so intensely...and so openly.

Yes, he was dreaming. He had to be. Even if he was, he would delight in knowing she cared... if only in a dream.

So lost was he in his own thoughts that the feeling of her soft lips brushing his caused his eyes to fly open in surprise. He gazed down at her in wonder, captivated by the expression on her face...

She stood with her eyes closed as if awed by the sensation she had just experienced, her expression unguarded. Her eyes slowly opened, and Zane forgot to breathe as she leaned in for more.

Her nose brushed his, and she stood their breaths mingling teasingly as both waited for something...although what neither was sure. Her eyes glowed up at him and a shudder ran through him as his gaze locked with hers. He froze, his analytical pathways narrowing to a stand still as Pixal filled his positronic senses. Her warmth...her breath...the green of her eyes...it was too much...

And in that moment he closed the gap between them, claiming her full soft lips beneath his own.

Logically, he didn't even know this was possible for a droid. He was aware that this indeed was how humans expressed affection...even love. And he had witnessed Jay and Nya locked in this type of embrace more than once when they thought they were alone.

But never had it entered his mind that he would one day be capable of it.

He was unaware of any programming in his neural processors and sensory banks that covered responding to such an action, nor to even taking one. There were no logic parameters to explain the action. Neither did he think it was in Pixal's original programing. But judging by the way her demanding lips clung to his and by his own hunger for more of hers, the possibility was no longer just in the realm of probable.

A small moan vibrated in Pixal's throat and he shuddered at the tingling sensation running through his sensory matrix, setting his exoskeleton on fire. It was DEFINITELY a reality. Before he could wonder if it might have been his heart in her that allowed this, Pixal shifted against his lips taking his lower one between her teeth. And just like that Zane's system kicked into complete sensory overdrive, shutting down any hope of logical thought or any thought period for that matter.

There was only Pixal filling his virtual senses.

And another part of Zane's programming flared to life...a part he did not know existed. A part that was more human than he had thought possible.

He pulled back briefly, then dove in for more as she matched him move for move, both feeding and satifying a growing hunger inside both. Passion built and flowed in their touches as urgency undermined the sweetness of the moment. Neither understood it and neither tried as their processors simultaneously added and wrote new algorithms to compensate for the new sensations and data input.

Zane shifted a hand to the back of her head, lacing his fingers through her hair. Pixal's brows shot up at the change in position...and sensation. It was absolutely wonderful, and she melted into him. He hummed appreciatively and she almost giggled. Clearly he was enjoying this new experience. Not that she was complaining. She smiled against him sliping arms up around his neck. Her nindroid was doing all right...but then he always was a quick study.

He felt her smile into his kiss and her total acceptance as she leaned into him. A wave of sheer tenderness washed through him for her...his counterpart in truly every way. He was complete with her here. Two halves of a whole. His Pixal.

His movements slowed and kisses turned gentle and Pixal followed his lead...both giving and taking...communicating to each other silently as they lost themselves in the experience. It was as if each wanted to show the other how precious they were...each taking turns to lead and follow.

A sudden shifting in atmoshpere caused Pixal to pause and freeze briefly. Slowly, she pulled back, leaving them both breathless in wonder as he leaned his head down to rest his forhead against hers. She inhaled in his scent, more than amazed, as his arms tightened around her. His hand traced the contours of her shoulders as they stood lost in each other. In this fleeting moment, it was absolute heaven.

A gust of wind, stronger than the previous ones shook the trees, sending an ominous shiver through the young lovers. She sensed it as surely as he did. His defragmentation cycle was coming to an end. She also sensed the rising sadness in him, feeling it too...the finish of the dream.

"Zane..." Her soft voice drifted up to him from his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"I have to go. Time is almost up." She felt him tense as his arms tightened around her in protest. He didn't want this to end. And quite frankly, neither did she.

"Pixal, what do you mean 'you have to go'?" His voice was tight with confusion and worry.

She rubbed the white skin of her cheek against the rough fabric of his shirt before lifting her head to catch his gaze. There was something about his expression that tore at her heart. "Zane, do you trust me?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her quizically as he hesitated. He was confused. This was a dream, right? Then why was she saying she had to leave? A nagging suspicion snaked through his matrix and more questions logged themselves into his data base. And she wasn't answering any.

"Pixal...what is going on?" At his queering tone she turned away guiltily. His eyes bored into her as if to make her answer. But she wasn't talking. Her expression was determined and worried, and as much as he hoped she would tell him, he knew she would not. The truth was he did trust her. Absolutely. If she felt she needed to be silent, she had a good reason. Zane reached up, turning her face to meet his gaze. He smiled at her. "Yes, Pixal. I trust you."

"Then keep this safe for me." She reached into the front of her garment and pulled out a small chip. Green eyes met his dark ones pleadingly as she placed the chip in his hand. "Promise me you will not access this until the proper time."

He glanced down at the small data chip she had pressed into his hand. The proper time? "I don't understand."

The wind blew again, this time more violently and she glanced around in heightened alarm. "Promise me!" Her raised voice pleaded over the roar of the intensifying gust. The wind pulled hard at her and she felt her hold on Zane weaken.

"Pixal!" He cried out, holding her tighter as he sensed her slipping further away.

"Promise me!" Her hands gripped his arms like iron in a desperate attempt to cling to him.

"I promise! But, wait...Pixal!"

She gazed up at Zane wildly as the virtual world began to disolve. Reaching up she pressed her lips to his one last time... _Remember, Zane_... _I am always with you..._

And like that she disovled in Zane's arms, leaving him standing alone.

...

"Pixal!" Zane sat up with a start, lurching violently out of a sound sleep. He could feel his boimetric regulation system kick into overdrive as his heart rhythm fluctuated wildly. His eyes flashed around his room taking in the crimson and brown beams of the Destiny's Bounty. The sounds of caddy-dids filtered in the high window on the lee side, testifying to the quiet peacefullness of the evening, belying the turmoil inside him.

His hands flew to his chest as his sensory net registered the cold sensation of titanium under linen. The silver of his exoskeleton shined in the dimly lit room, reaffirming the fact that he was indeed the titanium ninja and not the white ninja.

He was awake. He was here...in the room he shared with Jay, Cole, and Kai. Judging by the diffused moonlight and the quiet snoring of his bunk mates, he had finished his defragmentation cycle early. The sun was hours from rising.

No cherry blossoms...no wooden bridge...and no Pixal.

 _Pixal_...

He glanced up at his HUD display focusing his inside view on the right hand corner and the noticably absent feminine form. Reaching deep into his his hard drive, he searched for that tell-tale presence, pressing his probing search parameters against that fire wall barrier that afforded her privacy. He received no resistance...and no response.

His stomach sank. He was awake indeed. Pixal was still missing from his positonic matrix, and he was alone once again.

His shoulders slumped as he brought a hand up to fist it in front of his gaze. She had been there...right there...where he could touch her and hear her voice again. And now she was gone.

It had all been a dream...

An amazing...incredible...perplexing dream.

He brought a hand up over his eyes as he replayed the encounter in his mind. Every moment and exchange...some startling and unexpected. And some he would not mind trying again...and again...the sensations of her in his arms and her lips against his were still very fresh in his mind and he could still taste her kiss... and feel her nuzzling into him.

It was so real he shuddered as his exoskeleton tingled with the memory.

He froze for a minute as he realized that those things he could literally still _feel_...that gave him pause. By all rights he shouldn't be able to. His positronic brain shouldn't be able to process those sensations nor should his nueral network support the impulses that he was currently feeling in his titanium body...and yet he was...

He ran a quick system analysis and discovered _several_ things were different. There was an area of synaptic growth in the circuitry contolling sensory input and response. That explained the echoes of pleasure reeling through him. That in itself was interesting and warranted further investigation.

Before he could seriously think about it, a system warning icon blazed across his HUD, shaking him free of his musing. He sat up as he keyed in a specific task for a more detailed scan. However, there was no mistaking it. His firewall had been breached.

Zane widened his search parameters for any extraneous or anomalous activity... and found it. It was so subtle he doubted he would have discovered it on his own.

But there it was...A heavily coded algorithm cleverly disquised with his own nueral signaure...Someone had not wanted to be discovered.

The coding was intensive and complex and the trouble the hacker had taken to mask his signature was no small feat. It required a high understanding of Positronics and robotic programing. Zane knew of only three poeple who had that level of understanding. And he seriously doubted that Pixal or Cyrus Borg would want to hack into his matrix. The only other who could have was the new Samurai X. He had done so once before.

But that had been a simple GPS location and information on an active file. This was decidedly a horse of an entirely different color.

The access log scrolled white writing across his inner HUD and his expression grew grim. This signal had accessed his memory banks on multiple occasions in the last several months. Each access had been brief and the areas of interest had been widespread across his memory files. Based on the time stamps, whoever was responsible had been replaying events starting at the earliest files he could actively access.

All of his memories of being a ninja and his journey since he gained his true potential...being systematcally analyzed one by one.

And it wasn't the first time.

Whoever it was was clever at disquising his footprint. The signal was sent during the defragmentation cycle. And tonight, it had accessed his system at the beginning of the buffering. Their probing had gone as far back as his first mission with Kai, Jay, and Cole to retrieve the golden weapons of the First Spinjitzu Master. But as the time stamps and accessed files qued in his resource banks, it became painfully clear that Pixal became an object of intetest. In fact, now that he thought about it, most of the memories he had been reliving now had to do with her. And most of the data accessed was Pixal related.

That fact bugged him even more than the knowledge that he had been compromised.

Zane's brow quirked. It explained his recent preoccupation. He had been very absent minded of late, stopping frequently as his mind wandered into memories, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. The real clincher was his loosing streak at chess. It was totally out of character for him. So much so that Jay had noticed and in his own unique way, subtly hinted that his reminiscing and daydreaming just might be love. Loathe as he was to admit it, after this dream, Jay might have been a little right.

However, his data logs showed that love wasn't the sole cause for his distraction.

Zane had no idea what the hacker was looking for. Or indeed what his interest in Zane's memories... or more specifically what his interest in Pixal was. Whoever 'he' was, it was obvious that he had intended on continuing his search tonight...

What piqued his interest even more is that his sensor logs showed not one signal reception at the beginning of this cycle, but two.

The first was the anonymous signal...the second bore Pixal's unique positronic footprint.

 _Pixal_...

The time log indicated that the mysterious signal been intercepted and cut off as the second had taken its place. All of this occured the moment Pixal appeared in his dream. Zane's glowing eyes narrowed as he recalled her agitated state. And her concern for him and the timing. Somehow, she had known about it, and she was once again protecting him. But how? And from what? His brows furrowed in worry and slight frustration even as his heart swelled at the thought. He wished she had said something about it.

His mind replayed their exchange again, this time with new eyes. She had interrupted the signal and, as the logs showed clearly, effectively blocked its repeated attempts at reconnecting with his core by placing her own in its way.

Judging by the signatures left by the contact, it had been no easy feat. He marveled at her unique ability. The strength of the signal incomming was incredible. For her to have been able to hold it off must have been difficult.

Not that he was questioning her methods...indeed, he rather... _enjoyed_ ...her ingenuity. It left a rather...lasting...impression. And it was something he intended on taking up with her in the future.

Pleasent thought as that was, it didn't resolve his problems. He couldn't help but wonder. What was she protecting him from? And why wouldn't she tell him? And was she all right?

Frustration flashed through him again. Where was she? It was clear she was no longer in his processor other wise she would not need to hack into his head too. And who was this 'hacker' and what was his goal? What did it mean for the future?

Zane did not like this one bit. He couldn't shake the sense of forboding that settled over him.

He lay back down quietly, afraid of waking the other Ninja. He had far too many questions and not enough answers. He sighed as the soft sounds of night creatures filtered through the window yet again.

How he wished she were here. She would know what to do. But wishful thinking was not going to win the day...or bring answers. Besides, there was only one action he could take tonight. He triggered his tracking algorithm, keying in a trace on both of the signals and their origins. At the very least he might be able to find Pixal. And at the most...?

He was hoping that he might have some answers by morning or possibly begin to find out who was behind this...and what was going on...

He sensed he would need to know very quickly.

...

Darkness. Intense darkness...a kaleidoscope of light. A myriad of scenes and images played out before the figure's virtual head set as his eyes traced throught the chaotic mess. Instantaneous responses to his eye gaze and neural prompting allowed him to make sense of the nausiating conglomeration of movement.

It had to be here somewhere... This droid held the key to the prophecy. He had seen it. The spirit smoke never lied...Great darkness, thick and evil had covered the realms. He had seen a silver man clad in white rise up and defeat it.

And he was certain...This one held the key to stopping the flood of darkness he had seen in his vision...he had to find out how though.

He had to find it...before it was too late.

"SAL, initiate play back." His voice filled the empty space of the virtual world.

A whirrr-click sounded out. "File accessed. Commencing playback."

Scenes began to play across the virtual field before his eyes.

 _Images of two othe darkly clad ninja sneaking up on a brown haired boy using a tooth brush as a weapon. He was shadow fighting one minute then fensing off the ninja attackers the next using...well...everything...the man in red pajamas ran across the roof rafters and lande in a dojo courtyard filled with training equipment., only to be stopped by a man in a long beard and straw hat. The man in white introduced the ninja as Master of Ice._

The images coalesced of their own volition changing the scene once more..

 _A bird, hawklike and sleek cried out with a peircing sound and the ninja in white stood head cocked, watching the animal as it sat upon trash cans out side the dojo. With that same echoing cry the scene changed again..._

 _Schematics flashed before his virtual eyes, plans and blue prints of first a bird...then a man...lay on the desk before his pirated gaze. He could feel the reverbations of emotions running through him as the shock of realization struck full force...he was a nindroid...automated...not human..with switches and gears instead of emotions and flesh...and in the center of his chest...a powesource..._

The figure tried to zoom on the desk in as a numb fist struck him in the gut...he had seen those schematics before...or something very similar to it...he could swear it was Altian in origin...

The scene flipped again. "Wait...! SAL...Pull up that memory again."

"Unable to comply. Memory file can not be accessed. Progressing time stamp."

"What do you mean can't be accessed?" The figure leaned forward in his chair about to stop the computer when a ragged gasp tore from his throat. _By the Golden Master.._...

No...it can not be...her...

The swirling vortex of color had resolved into a clear picture of the foyer in Cyrus Borg's high rise building...and the face that had stopped the figure cold danced before his borrowed memory.

 _The image of a white skinned robot wearing a cryogenic suit striding down a balstrade and exchanging words with the ninja clad in a black suit played out before him._

 _The android turned toward the viewer. "You are Zane...a droid like me. What does 'Zane' stand for?"_

 _"I stand for peace, freedom, and courage..."_

 _The image shifted and focused on Pixal as she scanned Zane._

 _"Your hardware is outdated and your processor is slow and incompatable with ours. Peculiar. All droids must recharge our batteries. Yet, curiously, I am unable to locate your energy source." She reached out and touched his chest. "What powers you?"_

 _"I...uh...don't know..."_

It can't be...he had to be sure. the figure again shifted his gaze. "Change time stamp. Move forward."

"Timestamp change initiated. Accessing file..." a feminine robotic voice chimed in the figure's ear peice.

The whirring click of a computer and the view changed. The spiral of colors and faces swam past him as he grabbed onto another vision...

 _Silver white hands blocking the veiw then placing the fractured face plate back into place. From Pixal's right arm, and all purpose tool ejected and sparks began to fly as she welded his intercostal connections._

 _"Thank you for repairing me. I guess an old nindroid like me is no match for newer models."_

 _Nonplussed by the slight sardonic accent at the words 'old nindroid', she replied without missing a beat. "This is just one of my primary functions. Gratitude is not required."_

The scene fizzled white and silver snow, as if reception was lost. The memory pooped back on leaving the figure feeling he had missed something important as the scene picked up.

 _Pixal looked down at her hands sheepishly. She was apologizing...explaining that she was curious to understand why Zane was so different. Hands reached out to encase hers as he drew her closer to him_

 _"We are all different...but I don't feel so different around you..."_

The image fizzeled and shorted for a second time as warning icon blazed on the center of the figures viewer.

"Connection failing." The positronic voice stated in infuriating calm.

"Rerout access code." He commanded the computer sharply. Someone was interfering with the connection. His breathing increased. He could not afford to lose the link now. Not after he had found her...

"Over ride the interference! Now!"

The electronic eye on the mainframe blinked rapidly and then the image changed. "Re-routing algorithm now. Over ride successful."

Another memory emerged...one he had not been able to access before. The colors flashed and were conjumbled as the voices were not clear...he heard what he thought was a woman's yelling about unscrambling Zane's nueral pathways as a woman's face appeared in close up relief. There...the black haired girl was leaving...

 _Pixal's face blue cybernetic face zoomed in. "Forgive me Zane...but I can't allow them to find it. I hope you'll understand...Zane's body moved as Pixal took control...she glanced around the cave and walked over to the large computer console reaching to input commands. Then gazed left at the suit of armor hanging with reverence fom the stand..._

The scene ended abruptly, leaving nothing but cybertronic snow on his screen.

"Connection failed ...link unable to reacquire...Connection failed..."

The crimson words repeated themselves in hiragana trailing across this visor as the electronic tones of SAL's voice chimed the message redundantly.

Within seconds the only sound heard was the heavy breathing coming from figure plugged into the virtual network.

"What happened? Why did we lose the singal?" Two shaking hands reached up and removed the virtual hood and leads wrapped around him head.

"Run a check..."

"Checking...running system diagnostic...Circumstance analysis complete. Connection was lost and failed to reacquire. Data indicates the failure was due to signal refocusing and master circuitry over ride." The red hiragana scrolled across the screen detailing the reason for system failure. Their signal had for all intents and purposes been commandeered. Someone had used their own algorithm to piggyback on his frequency and redirected control. The computer could not reacquire because the system was already fooled into thinking it locked onto the same signal.

"Analyze algorithm and trace the source of signal."

"Algorithm signature consists of thirteen hundred digit code." The number sequence displayed itself on screen as the computer voice calmy droned on. "Origin unknown."

The figure's indigo eyes gleamed with excitement...that sequence...the computer may not recognize it, but he did. It was the binary code for programing a cybernetic brain. It was slightly different , as if her code had been tweaked, but there was no mistaking it. He had found her. "Locate source of the signal."

The computer's digital eye blinked as it began to trace the source...

"Unable to locate. System error...ssyystemmmm error...errorrrr..." The electronic voice stuttered and tone deepened before dropping out, allowing the screens to freeze on the algorithm code. The computer fried as the mother board fizzled and sparked.

The figure stood aghast at the mess. And then shook his head. That was just like her...

The door behind him slid opened as four other hooded figures entered the room. "Rez, we are out of time. The spirit smoke has made yet another dire prediction."

The man speaking reached up and removed his hood, revealing glowing green eyes and pale white skin. His white hair stood like magnese flames atop his head. Dark blue tatoos resembling cybernetic 'veins' defined his cheeks, running along his neck, down beneath his robe.

Behind him the other three removed their hoods as well, revealing similar markings on each.

Rez slowly lowered his glasses as he gazed in aprehension at the elder oracle. "Tera...what did you see?"

The elder's face turned grave. "The Dark One..."

Rez's eyes widedned as he gazed down at the aparatus in his hands. "Then the prophecy is not wrong...he will return?"

The blue haired woman behind Tera spoke up. "It has already begun. The smoke showed that Auron has already escaped his prison and he has the medallion. If he allies with the Kumori and manages to free his Dark Lord there will be little the Realms could do to stop him. The power of the golden weapons is gone. And the Cryatal of Origins has all but vanished. And with our Lady lost to us...all hope is gone."

The other three glanced pensively between each other as Rez looked up from the glasses in his hand. "No, Atari. Hope is not gone."

Her green eyes widened as Tera reached a silver hand out to grasp the arm of the younger oracle. "What do you mean?"

Rez glanced around and stated matter of factly. "Altia is alive."

The others gasped, stunned by his words.

Atari gazed at the young oracle with doubt written on her face. "How could she be alive? It was she, who, with the power of the Crystal split the realms. She sealed away the Dark One. She took the stone and disappeared after that and no one has seen her since. After a battle of that scale, how could she still be alive?"

Rez lifted the glasses in his hands. "I have seen her. And the Silver Ninja knows where she is."

Terra's gaze met Rez's and held. Abruptly he turned to go. "Then we must find him. For if the Dark One is released and finds her, he will regain the Crystal of Origins. There will be nothing to stop him from covering all the realms in darkness."

...

The darkness was almost palpable and the atmosphere was think with humidity...and something else. Goosebumps tingled up the arm of the darkly clad figure as he pressed his way along the narrow rock ledges rimming the deep chasm off to his right. His skin litterally crawled with the latent electricity in the air...and the overwhelming sense of forboding...as if something evil...something forbidden lay just ahead.

The wind holwed in a forlorn moan, mourning the fate of those who would dare enter this forsaken cave. The figure shuddered and pulled the brown hood of his cloak down lower over his mask. And not just because of the wind...

He was close...he could feel it. Just a little bit further and he would be at the Portal. His hand reflexively reached up to brush the medallion at his neck. The cold of the smooth bronze was offset by the sharp planes of the pearlescent jewel set in the center.

"Finally, my master. You willl be free. The world will be yours once again and revenge will be mine." After all this time, the Dark One would finally return...And Altia would pay for her interference.

His dark eyes glinted in the shodows of the cavern as he pressed forward.

It had been so long...ages since she had sealed him in his makeshift tomb...ages since she had stripped away his power and left him to his living death. His fist clenched painfully around one of the sharp rocky outcroppings. Now he was free.

Free to destroy everything that she held dear...

His glowing green eyes flashed red as he stepped up pulling himself higher on the ledge. He laughed out right. This time, there would be no Mighty Warriors to defend her...her friends were long since scattered if not dead. Her precious Spinjitzu Master was long gone, a decrepit pile of bones...and now, there was no one to stop him.

The dark only seemed to grow deeper, and the wind took on a sinister turn as whispers like voices wove their way through the chasm, echoing in his ears. Whispers of hate and of warning echoed in his ears as the wind swirled buffetting his body. His cold smile widened. He had found them. _The Kumori.._..

And as the ledge narrowed, he clung tighter to the slippery rocks. Almost there...

The ledge widened out from a crevasse and the moment his foot touched the floor of the cave, the wind died out, leaving him to stand in the darkness. His own breathing echoed loudly in his ears in the almost overwhelming silence. All around him, the air seemed to grow heavy and thicker than before as the underlying aura of malice began to press into him. Brushing the medallion at his neck with his fingers he stepped forward into a wide room.

Bordered by rocky outcroppings, each a strangled distorted form in the darkness, the low illumination provided by red and purple crystals imbedded in the surrounding walls painted the grotesque shapes with a hellish glow. On the walls were paintings and statues carved in horrific relief, effigies of ancient creatures, snarling in monstrous expression, frozen forever in an attitude of was surreal like a freak house of horrors, and he had to make a conscious effort to tear his eyes away.

"Well, they weren't known for their beauty..." he murmured beneath his breath.

But he hadn't come here to oogle the decor.

His gaze scanned the room freezing on the large circular opening in the very center of the wall before him. A large door of bronze, intricately carved with figures and impressions, sealed the entrance. He reached up a hand to trace the carvings as memories ran through him. Memories of hopes and conquests long since dead...and memories of that fateful day when his warriors had been sealed away by that cursed crystal...

His fingers dropped into a dip in the surface...with a click a small pylon ejected from the surface.

He smiled cruely. He had found it...the key hole...his eyes glinted as he pulled the medallion from it's moorings around his neck, gently placing it against the surface of the bronze recepticle. With a muted buzz-click, small mechanical prongs snapped up and around the oval jewel and spun it, pulling it flush with the surface of the door.

A rumbling shook the foundations of the cavernous walls, as spear-like stalagtites broke loose from their moorings and became giant peircing projectiles. The figure dodged left as first one then another fell at his feet. Slowly the giant bronze structure blocking the door receeded into the wall, leaving a gaping maw of black nothingness.

And as suddenly as the quake came, it stopped, leaving an eery silence as the dust settled.

All that was heard was the intensity of his breathing...

And laughter...

... ... ...

(To be continued...)

Whew. Thank you so much for reading the first installment of this story. And thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Those reviews are what keeps an author going. :)

The next chapter will see the ninja debut as the story unfolds. Who is this Dark One? Who is Altia and why is Pixal in hiding? Join us next time...same ninja time...same ninja channel.


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